Combined soaking tank and washer



July 13, 1937. H. PAXTQN I COMBINED SOAKING TANK AND WASHER Filed April 24, 1935 which: opposite end of the brushing unit l3. J ournalled washer 10 comprising a-pre erred embodiment of each side of the machine I is an endless chain 55 Provided in the tank II is a u t soak g u on washer In is a shaft 68, the latter having bevel Patented July 13, 1937 v I t t UNITED STATES PATENTIO'FFICE COMBINED 'soAKmG TANK AND WASHER.

.Hale Paxton, Santa Ana, Calif; assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Food Machinery Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application April 24, 1935, Serial No. 17,966 4 Claims. (01. 146-194) Myinvention relates to the preparation of agri- S, the level of which is maintained slightly above cultural produce for market and more particuthe d ck 24 a hown in Fig. 1.. lariy t a m hin or W h n or otherwise The elevator l2 positioned at one end of the treating fresh fruits such as oranges, lemons, tank H includes a frame 34 in which upper and pp t lower shafts 35 and 36 respectively are journalled, 5 In the citrus industry the fruit to be packed is ach of th s haft having sprockets 3i fixed first thoroughly s ed y mme i g the fruit on opposite ends thereof. Trained about the in tanks containing a suitable solution for dis.- sprockets 31 at each side of the elevator i2 is a Solving n loosening h d and s al n th chain 38. Carried by the chains as are baskets surface thereof. After being soaked, the fruit is 39, the latter serving to lift fruit from the solu- 10 delivered to a brushing unit and scrubbed to retion S and deliver the same to the brushing unit move any remaining scale or dirt. l3. A complete description of the construction An object of my invention'is to provide a fruit and operation of the elevator I2 can be found in w h n m hin inwhich the o king t nk nd the application for U. 3. Letters Patent filed scrubbing unit are combined in a manner to sim- March 18, 1935 by Thomas H. Hudspeth, Serial plify construction and provide a compact eflicient No. 11,577. aS e The brushing unit I3 includes a plurality of Another object of my invention is to provide a rotary brushes 42 having Shafts 43 journalled in washer inwhich a single means is provided for bearings 44 and 45 on the side walls It of the submerging and conveying the fruit through the tank H as shown in Fig. 2. Keyed on one end 0 k tank nd f r carrying the fruit h h of each 'of the brush shafts 43 is a spiral gear 46.

the brushing unit. Each of the brushes 42 is driven in-the direction A further object of my invention is to provide indicated by the arrows of Fig. l by a common a fruit er in which the quantity of u t shaft 48, the latter having gears 49 keyed thereried through the S a ng n is q al to the on, these being positioned to mesh with the gears q y at an be ef c nt y handled by the 46 of the shafts 43 as shown in Fig. 2. brushing unit. Rotatably mounted on each end of the shaft 43 Other objects and advantages will be made of the end brush 42 adjacent the outlet board 2|,

' manifest in the following description taken 111V 15 a, sprocket 5 I similar sprockets 53 being mountconnection with the accompanying drawing in ed on the shaft of one of the brushes 42 at the Fig. 1 is a vertical, longitudinal sectional view of at theopposite end of the brushing unit l3 adjaa p f rr d f rm 'of my invention cent the elevator I2 is an idle shaft 52 havin a Fi s- 2 and 3 ar fragmentary c s sectional sprocket 53 on each end thereof. Mounted above Views ta en on the nes and of F 1- the shaft 52 is an inclined plate 54 for delivering a Fi 4 'is a reduced. dia mmatic plan i w. of the fruit from the elevator I: to the brushing the machine shown in Fig. 1. Q unit B. j

Referring fically to the drawing, a fruit Trained about the sprockets 33, 5| and 53, at

my invention is shown in Fig. 1, this washer i n- 55, the latter carrying the opposite ends of a eludin a soakin tan ll". an l v t r l nd a plurality of transverse; equally spaced bars 56.

brushing lil'iit Fixed on the side walls l6 of the tank II, as

, The tank ll includes a. bottom 15, side walls, shown in Fig. 2, are angle'riron bars 60, upon l6 and ends l1 and I8, theend 18 being relatively which the upper flights of the chains 55 slide,

43 low' n he ht to p ov d pa e for b e similar angle bars'iil being provided to carry the clined inlet and outlet boards 20 and II respeclow r-nights of the chains 55 as shown in Fig. 3. tivel'yupp t d by the i e Walls of t e t The chains 55 are driven at a relatively slow rate ll is a plate 23 having a horizontal .deck portion of speed by applying power in any suitable mana Substantially Vertical Wall 25 2It one end ner-to the shaft 30, the direction of travel of the thereof and an inclined wall 26 and vertical wall chains 55 being indicated by the arrow A of Fig. 1; 21 atthe opposite endthereof. J ournalled in Fixed on one end of the shaft 35 of the elevator the side. walls l6 of the tank ll adjacent the I2, as shown in Fig. 4, is a bevel gear 65, a simiplate 23 are transverse shafts 30, 3| and 32 upon lar gear 66 being fixed on the shaft 32. Joureach of which a pair of sprockets 33 is fixed. nalled in suitable bearings 61 on one side of the gears 69 and I0 on its ends, the gears 65 and 66 as shown.

Operation When the elevator I2 is set in motion, power is transmitted from the elevator I2 to the chains 55 by the shaft 68, the elevator I2 and chains 55 being driven at equal speeds, and timed so that one of the bars 56 starts across the brushing unit I3 shortly after each basket of fruit is dumped thereon, it being noted that the spacing of the bars 56 is substantially equal to the spacing of the baskets 39 of the elevator I2. Fruit F is delivered to the board 20, dropped into the solution S, and floats under the inclined wall 26 where it is engaged by the moving bars 56 of the chains 55 and is carried under the deck 24. The fruit is carried along the deck 24 by the bars 56 and discharged into the path of the baskets 39 of the elevator I2. At this point the fruit F is lifted from the solution S by the baskets 39 and dumped onto the receiving end of the brushing unit I3. Here the fruit is thoroughly scrubbed by the rapidly rotating brushes 42 and is urged these meshing with across the unit I3 by the bars 56 and dropped onto the outlet board 2|. It will be noted that the provision of the chains 55 and bars 56 for submerging and delivering fruit to the elevator I2 as well as feeding the fruit across the brushes 42 is a very simple means for providing the proper amount of fruit for the brushing unit I3 'at all times. It will also be seen that the provision of means for driving the elevator I2 and the chains 55 at equal speeds causes the bars 56 to urge fruit across the brushing unit I3 at the same rate that the fruit is delivered to the brushing unit by the elevator I2.

Although I have shown and described but one preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that various modifications and changes might be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a fruit washer, the combination of: a fruit soaking tank; a plurality of power driven, rotary brushes mounted transversely of said tank above the surface of solution therein, the uppermost portions of said brushes forming a continuous fruit brushing surface; an elevator for liftfeed fruit in said solution to said elevator and to feed said fruit across said brushing surface.

2. In a fruit washer, the combination of: a fruit soaking tank; a series of power driven transverse rotary brushes forming a fruit brushing surface above the level of solution in said tank; an elevator at one end of said tank to lift fruit from said tank and dump said fruit onto one end of said brushing surface; an endless chain at each side of said brushing surface, said chain encircling said brushes; fruit impelling means carried by said chains to urge said fruit across said brushing surface, said elevator and said chains being driven in timed relation to cause said fruit impelling means to urge fruit across said brushing surface at the same rate that said fruit is delivered to said brushing surface by said elevator.

3. In a fruit washer, the combination of: a

fruit soaking tank; a series of power driven transverse rotary brushes forming a fruit brushing surface above the level of solution in said tank; an elevator having spaced baskets for elevating fruit from said tank and dumping said fruit onto one end of said brushing chain at each side of said brushing surface; a plurality of transverse bars carried by said chains, said bars being spaced substantially equal to the spacing of said elevator baskets; power means for driving said elevator and so that said baskets and said bars travel at equal speeds, said bars being timed'relative to said baskets so that each of said bars starts across said brushing surface immediately following the dumping of fruit on said brushing surface by each of said baskets.

4. In a fruit washing apparatus the combination of a processing tank, a fruit washing apparatus consisting of a series of transverse rotating brushes mounted above said tank, the upper surfaces of the said brushes rotating in the direction of the travel of the fruit moving thereover, elevating means asociated therewith for delivering fruit from said processing tank to the fruit washing means thereabove and endless chain traveling means for moving fruit through the processing tank and delivering it to the elevating means in timed relation thereto, said traveling means having one run extending above said means carried by said chain means and extending therefrom to propel the fruit across the brushes and engage the fruit in said processing tank to propel the fruit therein to said elevating means.

HALE PAXTON'.

surface; an endless said chains 5 

